Harmony's Call
by Lost Guardian Nexor
Summary: A tale of the Equestrium, a universe where harmony isn't found through friendship but through war and eternal sacrifice to the God-Emperess. In these dark times, there will be only war.
1. Intro

In the grim darkness of the Nightmare Crusades, there was only war.

Brother fought brother, cities fell to the dark forces of Discord, and above all other horrors, our grandest princess Celestia was slaughtered by her own flesh and blood, the wicked Nightmare Moon.

These were dark times for our small kingdom of Equestria, and all seemed lost as more and more land was claimed by the evil princess. But when it seemed like we were about to lose, when Nightmare Moon descended upon the small province of Ponyville, something amazing happened.

The Elements of Harmony, the six virtues that define the ultimate magic of Friendship, awoke from their century-long slumber and shone above the town like beacons of hope. It was then that the High Priestess, Twilight Sparkle, wrought the power of Friendship through her horn and banished Nightmare Moon to the darkest depths of Discord, to be eternally held down by the tortured souls of those she murdered.

A sense of peace filled Equestria as the land under her rule fell back into ponydom's hooves. There was rejoice, jubilation of which had never been seen before, and the High Priestess was dubbed the new Queen of Equestria, to be eternally sustained by the loyalty of her subjects.

Many years passed under her rule, and ponydom prospered. It wasn't until the 24th century that Twilight turned her gaze to the stars. With her careful assistance, ponydom stretched out a gentle hoof into the blackness of the void, Harmony lighting their path. Over many decades, the kingdom of Equestria became the Equestrium, a galaxy-wide territory containing more than a million worlds. Twilight was it's leader, in spirit and faith; revered as Goddess of the sun and moon.

But despite the magic sustaining her life-force, Twilight passed away at the dawn of the 29th century, and yet with her death, the people's devotion to her only increased. Soon, people began to lead religious crusades on those who did not see Twilight as Goddess, branding those not of faith as heretics and executing them in her name. Discord began to spread once more throughout the Equestrium; a time bomb just waiting to burst.

And burst it did. Twilight's most trusted advisor, Trixie the Great, saw a new world when she looked into the seductive fires of Discord; an empire ruled by her through the power of Nightmare. She pledged her soul to Discord, and through her body allowed Nightmare Moon to re-enter the material world. This event, known as the Trixie Heresy, was one of the darkest times in pony history since the Nightmare Crusades. Hundreds of worlds were lost, and many of the Equestrium's greatest defenders were torn asunder. It once again seemed like all was lost, with no Goddess to stop the Nightmare, and nopony brave enough to defend the Equestrium from Discord's twisted followers.

Once again, Harmony found a way by hunting down the new champion. It found her on the small agri-world of Terra, a young pony by the name of Faust, and bestowed upon her the highest state of ponydom: the form of an Alicorn, the magical form taken by Twilight after she became the champion of Friendship. She traveled to the Equestrium's capitol world, Equestria, and there encountered the queen of Nightmare. Her Discordian magic was strong, but Friendship eventually overtook her and Nightmare Moon found herself in the fires of Discord again, even more souls gathered to constrain her for eternity.

Dubbed the new lord of the Equestrium, Faust made it her duty to keep ponydom safe from Discord, projecting a field of magic across the Equestrium known today as the Harmonium which would keep people safe from its temptations even if they traveled through the plane of Discord itself.

Happiness spread throughout the worlds, only to be crushed by many more threats; violent alien races from beyond the Ultima Harmonia, like the psychic Eldeer or the barbaric Hogz. But rather than hide, the Equestrium instead took up arms and fought to preserve harmony.

That time is now. Everypony shall wage war for their galaxy's safety, from the bio-engineered soldiers known as Space Mareines to the humble ponies of the Equestrian Guard. Everyone shall fight, and all those after us as well, because in the grim darkness of our future, there is only war; just as it was during the Crusades, so it shall be.

* * *

And so, Warhammer PonyK begins..

I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing!


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello, comrades! I hope you have enjoyed the intro, and look forward to reading this. For all intended purposes, the mane six are not who they are in the show. They simply share names. And the reason for Twilight (not the deceased queen, the one from FiM) still being called that is because Twilight is a common name in the Equestrium. Now, to the realm of Warhammer PonyK!

* * *

_October 13th, 40003_

_Steel Legion barracks, Armageddon orbit_

"WAKE UP, YOU SLUGPONIES! I'VE SEEN HOGZ LESS LAZY THEN YOU!"

Twilight groaned, opening her still sleepy eyes and glaring at the speaker mounted on her wall. She slowly rolled off the top bunk of her bed, finding herself a little wobbly on her hooves. She walked at a sluggish pace out of the bunkroom and made her way to the mess hall, ears perking up when she smelt daisy pancakes. She grabbed a plate and found a seat beside her only friend, a sweet pegasus named Fluttershy. She might be quiet, but she proved to be very kind when Twilight felt particularly exhausted after training, which was everyday. "Morning, Fluttershy." She greeted with a smile.

"Oh, um, hello Twilight." She replied, trying to hide her face behind her hair, or what was left of it; most ponies had to have haircuts after joining the Equestrian Guard, long hair being hazardous in the field of battle and hard to fit under a helmet. Fluttershy's short pink hair was barely enough to cover her forehead now, only going to the beginning of her neck in the back. Twilight didn't know her pain, however, glancing at her black and magenta mane. "How've you been?" She asked, aiming her attention at her pancakes instead. "Um, good, I guess. Thunderwing ran me ragged at the morning drill, though." Fluttershy sighed, taking a bite of her daffodil sandwich.

"Blame it on the commissar. If she actually paid attention to how hard the seargants are on u-" Twilight started before a hoof tapped her on the shoulder. She looked behind herself at the culprit, and went pale. A pink mare stood there, her light blue eye hard as stone, with a nasty scar leading from her forehead to her jaw. A bionic implant replaces her other eye where the scar met it. Atop her head, barely containing her curly red hair, was a cap adorned with a winged skull. Along with this, she wore a black jacket with various medals and badges, polished black boots, and a red sash. Something about her demeanor sent a chill down Twilight's spine, and for good reason. "What was that you said about my attention-paying, miss Sparkle?" She asked with an angry tone, which caused Twilight to shrink in her seat.

"N-n-nothing, Commissar Pie." She choked out.

Commisar Pie humphed and smiled. "Good. I won't tolerate any bad-mouthing between my troops. You're part of the 178th and dangit you're gonna act the part!" She turned and left, leaving Twilight speechless. The lavender unicorn looked down at her food glum, and Fluttershy nudged her shoulder.

"Don't feel bad, Twilight." She consoled her friend. "Pie chewed me out last week for forgetting to brush my te-"

"WHO FORGOT TO BRUSH!?" Came the commisar's voice, echoing throughout the entire ship.

Fluttershy looked at Twilight, then at the hall the commisar was running down, and then back at Twilight. "You didn't.." She stopped when Pie halted in front of the two once again, cluthing a lavender toothbrush in her mouth. "I burrive ths brrngs tu yuh." She said around it, pointing at Twilight.

"Faust have mercy!" Screamed Twilight as the commisar dragged her away by her ear.

* * *

_Same Day_

_Apple Strikers, Appleoosius base_

Applejack muttered in annoyance as battlesister Rarity combed her mane, droning on and on about how LOVELY she'll look when she's done and how ANGRY she'd be if any of those NASTY Hogz messed it up. "Uhh, Rarity? Ah don't think ah need to be all primped an' preened; it's only a battle, after all." She argued.

"Oh nonsense, dear! I would rather DIE than see anypony march into battle with hair like yours!" Rarity protested.

"You're a saint, Rarity." Applejack rolled her eyes.

Rarity didn't seem to notice AJ's insult, nor did she notice the giant red stallion entering the room until he spoke, his voice deep and tinged with the same Appleoosian accent Applejack had. "Sister Rarity?" He inquired.

The white unicorn immediately spun around, a big grin on her face. "Chapter Master Macintosh! How wonderful to see you! I'm just finishing up with your sister's mane. She'll be battle-ready in no time!" She happily tapped her hooves together before continuing her work. Macintosh rolled his eyes and stepped closer.

"The Hogz are coming faster than we first predicted. There's no time for combing, ladies." He stated, his voice more serious than Applejack had ever heard it.

"Big bro- err, I mean, Master Macintosh; what's so bad about this Hog herd that's gotten your tail in a bunch?" Applejack asked. She'd fought plenty of Hogz, and none of them were exactly enough to spark alarm in ponies, let alone Space Mareines.

"One word: Trotta." Macintosh said, narrowing his eyes.

Even Rarity froze up, and other Mareines getting into their power armour immediately turned their heads to stare at their Chapter Master. "A Trotta? You don't mean 'the most powerful vehicle in the Hog arsenal' Trotta, right?" Rarity asked, in shock.

"The same."

Rarity fainted, which brought a smile to Applejack's face as she got up from her seat and over to her power armour's container. She quickly went to work equipping herself, sliding her bolter into her armor's sidelatch. She trotted over to Macintosh, a look of determination in her green eyes.

"Let's make those Hogz wish they were never spores."

* * *

_Same Day_

_On Hog planet Chogga_

Rainbow Dash groaned in irritation as her bike came to a screeching halt, smoke pouring from the engine. "Ah shoot! I told Chubb ta fix me engin', paid 'im two teef to do it, n' it breaks apart the sekkund I hit da zogging go pedal! I'll club 'm real good fer this won, hurr hurr." The cyan pegasi chuckled heartily as she dismounted her bike and inspected the engine of her bike for a minute or so. "Stupid peez o' junk!" She grimaced before kicking it, which amazingly got the bike to start working again. She grinned and got back on the back, hitting the 'go pedal' and zooming off toward her clan's village.

Stopping in front of her hut, she trotted down the pathy to the local pub. She could really go for some fungus cidar. Pushing open the front door, the bartender Frootjoos bellowed out a greeting. "Oi, Rehnbo! Ova 'ere!" He gave her a tusked smile, which she returned - only without tusks.

"Fungus cida, Joos. Dey's bin ruff." Rainbow ordered, sitting down at the counter. The Hog nodded, adjusted his seeing lenses, and then poured a glass of the greenish liquid, popped in a straw and pushed it to her. She started to suck at the straw, the sour yet warm beverage hitting her tongue and making her quiver.

"Ahh, da good stuffs. Nun o' dat zoggin 'oggit whiz dey try n' sell at de pub on 'urgaf's turf!" She laughed at her joke, earning the chuckle of her fellow Hogz.

"Wut you say 'bout me clan's cidar?" Growled a nearby Hog.

Rainbow looked over at him and smirked. "I called it 'oggit whiz, ya git. Hurr hurr hurr!" She once again heard her friends roar with laughter, and a roar of rage from the Hog she insulted. He stood up, and she sized him up. Big fella, for a Hog at least. About 3/4 her height, and almost twice as wide. His fur, dark red with black hairs here and there. His tusks were huge, and his ear had a large bite in it. He snorted, a puff of steam shooting from his nostrils.

"All right, itz on!" He roared before charging. Rainbow smirked and threw her head back to the ceiling.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" She screamed before charging, head lowered to the ground as she ran at him. She picked up speed, and by the time they collided, she had reached rainbow speed, becoming a blur of many colors. The Hog was knocked so far back he crashed through the pub's back wall, landing on a pile of bricks in a daze.

"N' dat my frenz," Rainbow said before sipping her cidar. "Iz how Rehnbo dashez."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this! Stay tuned for more PonyK!


	3. Chapter 2

**Steel Legion Barracks, Armageddon Orbit**

Twilight stared incredulously at the holoscreen before her, the translucent light-blue screen depicting a massive swarm of beasts ripping apart the surface of the planet below. It had been two weeks since the fiasco with her toothbrush, and Commissar Pie had decided to give the private a chance to prove herself in combat. She'd be serving under Pie's direct orders, traveling with her squad alongside Fluttershy and several other 'whiteshields', as the Steel Legion called their rookies. The commissar herself stared blankly at the vicious xenos on the video, her real eye showing a veiled look of terror as memories of rending claws and gnashing teeth washed over her. Pinkie regained her composure by clearing her throat, drawing the attentions of the surrounding ponies.

"Alright gentlecolts! Today we embark to the surface of Hurax Prime to handle a force I like to call," She brought up a picture of one of the beasts on the holovid, "the Paranids." Her voice was serious and firm, and Twilight heard a nearby stallion gulp nervously. Pinkie went on without falter. "Paranids are a mindless xeno race of unknown origin. Our first contact with them was their attack of Paranos Major, a Mechanicus research-world that the Paranids ambushed, butchered, and devoured."

Twilight gasped. "They..._ate_ the planet?" She asked in shock.

Pinkie nodded. "Paranids eat everything in sight and leave no resources in their wake. They've claimed many of the Equestrium's worlds without any stopping them, but we know for SURE that they can be killed." She smirked and pinged several points on the paranid's body. "It's just hard as hay to do it, unless you know where to shoot." Commissar Pie then began to list all the vulnerable bits on a paranid, which Twilight could boil down to simply 'wherever there was no shell'. When the commissar finished, Twilight saw a cream-yellow hoof shoot up. Fluttershy smiled sheepishly as Pinkie's gaze met hers. "Yes, private Fluttershy?"

"What if we miss, miss Pie? Or our guns jam? Or..we're too _scared_ to fire?" Fluttershy asked in her quiet voice, avoiding eye contact.

Pinkie took one step toward Fluttershy and chuckled when the pegasus took two steps back and shrank. "Well, miss Shy, I guess you'll just have to keep your corpse out of our way._ Is that clear?_" Pinkie's face was locked in a cruel grin, and Twilight wanted nothing more than to defend her friend. Fluttershy squeaked and nodded frantically, trying to hold back tears of fright. "Good." Commissar Pie trotted back to the holovid's terminal and shut it down, the room's lights turning on and allowing everypony to see each other clearly. Twilight sighed in relief as she realized she had eight other ponies in the squad besides herself, Pinkie, and Fluttershy.

"That better than just us and the Commissar." Twilight muttered, snapping back to reality when Pinkie Pie nudged her. "You're dismissed, private." The pink earth pony said forcibly. "THAT MEANS GET OUT!"

The unicorn mare scrambled back in shock, saluting nervously before bolting from the room. She only had three hours till orbital drop, and she planned to spend it well. Opening up her bunk-room door, she trotted over to her bed and quietly reached under the pillow and withdrew a book. The book was leather-bound and of mild thickness. 'The Codex Equestratum" was written on the cover in bold letters, and the seal of the Friendquisition sparkled in the light that filtered into the room from the hallway.

Twilight opened the book and began to read, underlining texts she found to be particularly moving.

_In the grim darkness of our past, a plague ripped through Equestria and nearly left ponykind powerless against the eclipse of Nightmare Moon. This plague was called kindness._

_Kindness infests the mind and makes the infected think they've nothing to fear, and that friendship and love will overcome any obstacle. Thanks to Luna's fall to Discord, ponies know better._

_Happiness must be sustained, but also kept in check. Allow it to drop too low and the people lose hope and wither before the heretics hand; or worse, become the heretic. An idle mind breeds heretical thoughts, after all._

_Allow happiness to get too high and everypony believe they have finally found peace; a foalish thought in a world such as this, and almost blasphemous to contemplate._

_Happiness is not our answer. The only answer to the problems of our kingdom is duty and servitude to our Empress Faust._

_Only in death those duty end._

Twilight stared at that last sentence, the grim implication making her shudder. Placing the book back under her pillow, she climbed into bed and closed her eyes.

"ATTENTION, MEMBERS OF THE 167th REGIMENT. ORBITAL DROP IN 15 MINUTES. MAY THE EMPRESS PROTECT," The intercom blared, and Twilight stared up at in mixed confusion/horror. "There's no way that took three hours!" She groaned in irritation before getting up in defeat and leaving the room.

* * *

"Alright, everypony! The planet below is teeming with billions of sharp teeth and claws just waiting to mark your hide." Pinkie grinned evilly and snickered. "Just try not to think about it."

Twilight rolled her eyes and glanced over to Fluttershy, who was nervously biting her hooves. "Calm down." The unicorn giggled, patting her shoulder. "You'll be fine. Just stick next to the Commissar. She might be a little...cruel, but she knows what she's doing." Twilight consoled the cream pegasus, who looked up at her terrified. The unicorn gave her a "cheer up" grin, making the smaller mare hesitantly smile back.

"Brace!" They both heard Pinkie scream before something collided with the ship, sending it spiraling out of control. The two ponies screamed and grabbed each other, losing each other as the lights cut out in the drop-ship's cargo bay. The whole ship was dead silent for a moment before another object smashed into the ships hull, shattering against it but clearly doing some damage as one of the ship's panels buckled under the force and finally tore free to reveal a hole about four feet across and three feet in height. "Ready your guns! Time to party!" The Commissar barked before withdrawing a bolt-pistol from her side, holding it in her mouth like earth ponies are trained to.

Through the hole came rancid air teeming with green parasites that seemed to swim by Twilight's face, and without warning a creature came barreling through, skidding across the floor to Pinkie's feet. It was a foul-looking xeno covered in a purple shell with soft blue flesh exposed on its joints and freakishly large green eyes that stared soullessly ahead. From its back spread two huge wings, each one the length of a filly. It pulled its lips back to show a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth, screeched in rage and leapt at Pinkie.

The bolter-round punched right through its head and detonated in its chest, spraying the room with chunks of shell and bright-pink ichor. Pinkie's face looked the same despite being stained with the alien's blood, and she dropped the pistol in her mouth and grinned. "For the Empress, men! Today's a good day to die!"

"YEAH!" Screamed a huge white pegasus beside Twilight, who withdrew his laspistol and fired it at another paranid entering through the hole. The other soldiers followed in his actions, and even Fluttershy fired when one of the xenos emerged. "Just a little further, Twilight. We're gonna be down on the planet soon." Fluttershy's eyes widened at the realization of her own statement. After a moment, the cream pegasus' eye twitched. "And we'll make them regret the day they challenged FLUTTERSHY!" She cried in fury.

Pinkie snickered. "I knew that girl was a wuss-puss! Just needed an extra-hard kick in the plot to get her started." She commented smugly, watching the other soldiers stare at the enraged mare in shock. Paranids barely showed their faces before a laser ripped through their skull and sent them falling back to the surface miles below.

Twilight smiled as she watched Fluttershy prove herself an expert marksmen, just as her training suggested. "Good job, Fluttershy."

* * *

**Battlebarge ****_Empress' Fury_****, Harmonia Obscure**

Applejack stared out the window of the massive ship, watching shooting stars and other crafts moving throughout the inky blackness of the void. Each ship passing made her long for home and a nice slice of apple pie. Just thinking about it made her hungry, and she groaned in irritation at the fact that the battlebarge was out of provisions; for some odd reason, the Hogs had charged the storage facilities and gorged themselves until they were the size of boulders. She shook her head in anger. It was a stupid move in the short-term, but in the long-haul, it was beginning to make her life a hell of gnawing hunger.

"AJ?" Came a voice from behind her, and she turned to face her older brother. He looked better than he head a few days prior, the gash he had taken to his head healing up rather nicely - no doubt thanks to Nurse Redheart's tender loving care, she thought with a smirk.

"Yeah, Big Macintosh?" She responded, saluting momentarily. The red stallion before her sighed. "Ye're hungry, aren't ya?" He inquired, pointing to the orange mare's growling tummy. Applejack blushed and shook her head quickly. "No sir! I'm feeling better than an egg salad sandwich on a hot Appleoosian day!" She smiled sheepishly.

Macintosh gave her a concerned look before averting his gaze. "Ye don't have to be so selfless, AJ. There's enough food to keep almost all of us okay until we get home, and the veterans and I have decided to put you younger mareines first in the lunch-line." He placed a hoof on her shoulder. Applejack grinned back at him. "That's awful kind, Big Mac, but Ah'm really okay! A little hunger ain't gonna slow me down!"

As if on some ironic cue, a massive explosion rocked the ship. Applejack was thrown across the room by the sudden quake, slamming against the metal wall and getting dazed. Macintosh held his ground and readied his bolter, looking sternly in the direction of the blast. "Stay here, AJ. Ah'll handle this!" He ordered before bolting out of the room. Eager for battle, AJ disobeyed her brother's order and ran to her power armor's pod.

Stepping out of the pod in full armor, Applejack surveyed her surroundings. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, save for her visor going wonky whenever she looked in the direction Macintosh left. Deciding to test her luck, she ran out of the room to find her big brother.

Turning a corner, she gasped and rolled back behind the wall, fearing she had drawn the attention of the strange ponies down the hall. Glancing to see the ponies, she saw three Mareines wearing red and orange power armor covered in odd spikes and decorations. They seemed to be bickering amongst themselves, actually reaching the point where they were fighting themselves in a rage. This terrified Applejack, as she finally knew who had blasted their ship. "Discord Mareines.." She said silently, wincing when her whisper made its way into the extremely-selective ears of the Mareines down the hall. Their heads turned in unison, and they all split the same toothy grin. "Why hello there, poppet." Said one, a stallion who began to giggle in anticipation at what they were going to do to her.

"Why don't you come over here, poppet?" Asked the second, a mare talking in a sultry tone. Applejack shuddered when she realized all three of them had completely different intentions. "Why not I just introduce you to CAPTAIN McBOLT!" Applejack barked back, firing her bolter - or, tried to. She gasped and stared at the jammed gun in terror. "Hello, Mr. McBolt!" Said the final Discord Mareine, stepping forward. "Funny, I have a McBolt too. It looks like THIS!" He pulled out a bolter covered in scribbles and crazy decor, firing a round at Aplejack's feet.

Applejack jumped back and tried to fire again, but her bolter was done for good. Weighing her odds, she decided to do the next best thing. Taking a deep breath, flexing her legs and gritting her teeth, Applejack stood as tall as she could and then ran away as fast as possible, screaming like mad.

"I like it when they play hard-to-get!" Cried the second Discord Mareine, and the three gave chase. Applejack couldn't even stand to look behind her, knowing they were practically on her flank already. Diving around a corner, she smirked as they kept on going down the straightaway. "So long, demon freaks!" She called back at them before bolting away.

"Damn, you let her get away!" Growled the first Mareine, bonking the others on the head. "Me! You let her get away, you foal!" The third roared back and punched the first. Once again, they had all begun to brawl until the sound of somepony clearing their throat caught their attention.

"Hello, you ruffians." Said the white unicorn before them, flicking her purple mane to the side and winking. The three Mareines shared glances before charging at her, hooves outstretched.

They barely made it three steps before a bolter-round through their chests sent them back to the fiery pits of Discord. Rarity grinned and blew the smoke away from her gun's muzzle. "Never rush a lady with a bolter. Of course, you'd know that if you weren't nasty heretics." She humphed and ran down the same hall as Applejack, searching for her friend.


	4. Chapter 3

**Day 1/1 of Operation Bugzapper**

**Frodias Minor, Lower Atmosphere**

Twilight was terrified as the air inside the room became more and more choked with toxic parasites - the order from Pinkie to the troops to put on their gas-masks went without hesitation, everypony know completely unidentifiable under the full-covering armor of the Steel Legion. Twilight's own mask was working properly, which was more than she could say about that huge white pegasus beside her who was now hacking and coughing blood on the floor - all attempts to help him were met with a swift smack on the head with Pinkie's hoof and a good shouting-at. "You _REALLY_ wanna risk catching what he's got?" She'd tell us, and we'd obey in fear of the strange virus that was killing him.

Glancing at Fluttershy, who know manned the hole in the hull all by herself, Twilight smiled softly. The pegasus seemed like a whole new pony, happily following the once callous (toward her, at least) commissar and blowing apart whatever paranid did show its face. Looking to the other ponies, she noticed Pinkie acting strangely - strange for Pinkie, at least. She was looking around, almost like she was paranoid, until what Twilight assumed the commissar was expecting slammed into the ship.

Everypony inside was thrown around violently as a massive maw ripped through the hull and snapped at the ponies. The sick pony slid across the floor into its path and the sharp jaws of the paranid clamped down on his torso and cleaved right through his flak-armor. The xeno ripped its head back, pulling a huge portion of the soldier free of his own body, leaving him to scream only for a moment before the beast bit down and swallowed the rest. All the soldiers opened fire except for Pinkie, who seemed to have suddenly come down with a case of the willies and ran for the door out of the hold, grabbing two soldiers on her way out - Twilight and Fluttershy.

Twilight was terrified and confused to no end, but followed her commissar without hesitation. The sound of lasgun fire bounced across the wall, filling Twilight's ears despite the increasing distance to the hold. Amongst other noises, she could hear the sound of her friend's hoofsteps and Pinkie's heavy breathing as she panicked.

"Come on, ladies!" Pinkie screamed at them, her eyes wild with terror. Obviously, the thought of dying in this fight had only now struck her. "We have to get to the escape-pod's before that gargoyle's friends arri-"

Pinkie was cut off when exactly that happened. Five thunderous explosions rocked the ship, one of the punching through the hallway and giving Twilight more than a scare when the massive head of a gargoyle reached in to snap at her. She spun around and fired several rounds down its throat, making the chitinous alien roar in agony and spew ichor from its throat; It would need much more than a lasgun's fire to kill something of that size, but it sure left it hurting. Twilight smirked at her work before galloping after her commissar and best friend.

Turning a corner, Pinkie finally saw the sign she had so longed for: ESCAPE. "We're here!" Pinkie seemed overcome with glee - glee that quickly vanished when she turned again down the hall the sign pointed. There were strange shaking masses of chitin and sharp teeth everywhere, screeching and clawing slowly toward the ponies. "A ripper swarm on a ship? This is one _crazy_ brood!" Pinkie cried out in exasperation, drawing her pistol and blasting the rippers that drew too close for her comfort - she wanted to keep her organs _INSIDE_ her body, thank you very much.

Fluttershy started shooting at the tiny (almost cute) paranids, her eyes narrowed in hatred as a fury filled her similar to earlier. On a whim even Pinkie would call insane, Fluttershy bit down hard on her tongue to the point where blood dribbled from it. Pulling a grenade from her belt, she spat some of the blood on the oblong egg of death, pulled the pin and threw it toward the rippers.

The xenos followed the bloodied explosive, swarming over it to lick up the precious biomatter covering the baited trap. The three ponies dove behind the corner before a explosive crash was heard and dozens of monsters squealed in pain before growing silent. Glancing around the corner, Twilight saw a wall with splinters of chitin stabbed into them, bright-pink fluid dripping down from the ceiling along with grey flesh. Gulping nervously, she stepped out and walked through the hall to the end, a door meeting her. Pinkie and Fluttershy joined her shortly, the commissar congratulating the pegasus on her quick thinking.

"And the look on their faces must have been _priceless_!" Pinkie giggled, patting her on the back. The commissar trotted past Twilight and opened the door, rubbing her hooves together happily when a cozy-looking cabin met them, along with a steering panel for navigation. Cantering in, Twilight looked around in amazement at how luxurious it was for an escape pod. "This seems like the makers wanted the ponies escaping to be comfy while they flew back home. Why's that, Pinkie?" Twilight asked curiously.

"The pilot's very proud of her escape pod. I'm sure she won't mind us taking it, though. Or she'll mind it a lot." Pinkie shrugged before she approached the navigation panel, trying to locate the ignition. Twilight raised an eyebrow, taking her mask off after Fluttershy entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"The _pilot's_ pod?"

"Yup!" Pinkie threw her mask aside, a grin on her face. "She probably knew about this in advance, so she made sure to make her escape-craft comfortable so she could relax while she abandoned us."

"_ABANDON_ us?" Fluttershy squealed, the xeno-killing fury leaving her a timid pegasus once more. Twilight smiled a little, the thought of having her normal friend back being one that pleased her. Pinkie nodded again, finding the ignition and pressing it. The other ponies almost fell over when the feeling of the pod's rockets shook the cabin. Looking out a side window, Twilight saw the craft detach from the carrier that was now little more than a mass of swarming paranids. "They're all going to _die_!" Twilight realized in terror, her mouth agape in horror.

"And be happy it wasn't you on that ship, Night Light!" Pinkie grimaced, pulling up on the steering and increasing the craft's pitch.

"Twilight." The lavender unicorn corrected.

"Whatever!"

Fluttershy looked at the two arguing ponies concerningly. "We shouldn't be fighting like this." She whimpered, pouting when she realized they hadn't heard her."

"What's going on here, Pinkie!?"

"We're escaping with our lives, soldier! Those paranids were going to rip apart the ship; just as planned, I'm sure."

"Just as planned?"

"The Friendquisition! They had ordered me on a suicide mission! Me! Just for that little insubordination on Gralizio!"

Both Twilight and Fluttershy seemed confused by the commissar, looking at each other momentarily before meeting Pinkie worried gaze. "What are you talking about, Commissar Pie?" Fluttershy asked, a little scared by the thought that the Friendquisition - the keepers of order in this war - would order a distinguished commissar such as Pinkie to mount a suicide mission.

Pinkie sighed. "Four days ago, I was given orders from Friendquisitor Tenderheart to lead my newest troop of guardponies into the atmosphere of Frodias where the paranids were laying siege. The ship was supposed to be ripped apart, the pilot escaping to tell tale that the soldiers died honorably for the Empress." Pinkie seemed deeply disturbed by the tale, very similar to the terrified ponies she told this to.

Fluttershy seemed like she was going to cry, disgusted by the fact that an Friendquisitor had ordered for Pinkie's death and her own. Twilight felt similarly frightened by such news, the excerpt from the Codex Equestratum coming back to her memory.

_Only in death does service end._

If she had found it ominous then, it seemed like a threat now. Pinkie seemed to understand the haunting expression on the unicorn's face, nodding solemnly.

Fluttershy stomped her hoof angrily. "They wanted to make martyrs of us! The _nerve_!"

Twilight looked out the window again. The ship was now a blip in her field of vision, barely visible as the craft started to pierce the atmosphere. As the coldness of the void of space surrounded, she realized now that her life would be like this. She may live, but she lived without the Equestrium. She had followed her commissar and broke the order of the Friendquisition. She had betrayed the direct order of the Equestrium's most powerful organisation beside the Empress herself.

"Fluttershy."

"Yes?"

"We're heretics now, aren't we?"

"Not as bad as you thought, eh?" Pinkie interrupted, smiling warmly at the fact that she had avoided death. "I thought I would have felt something, but I feel terriffic!"

"No, it feels like I just spit in Faust's face. And called her mother a Zekorrian Plague-Fiend."

Fluttershy nuzzled Twilight gently, hopping to console her best friend. "Don't feel so bad, Twilight." She smiled sheepishly.

"And why should I?" Twilight asked upset, looking questioningly at the pegasus.

"Faust's mom _WAS_ a Zokkerian Plague Fiend!" Their commissar chimed in, chuckling at the two ponies cuddling behind her.

"PINKIE!" The two ponies shouted, grimacing at the laughter bursting from the pink earth pony.

* * *

**Battlebarge ****_Empress' Fury_****, Harmonia Obscure**

Applejack and Rarity skidded to a halt in front of the door to the battlebarge's bridge. They had already found several Discord Mareines along the way, so they knew they had already breached the hull, but the sound of Macintosh's shouting from the other side filled Applejack with the bravado to force open the door. Her smile only widened when she saw the massive herd of Apple Strikers peppering heretics with bolter-fire. Macintosh was currently the head of the rush, the chainhorn atop his helmet currently buried in a Discord Mareine's helmet, firing a bolt into its chest to force it off when he found the heretic's skull had jammed the blade.

"Applejack! Help the scouts!" Barked her cousin Braeburn, who was fighting a pegasus heretic that then attempted to dive-bomb him. Firing a round into its hip, he bucked it hard to completely sever the torso. Applejack stomped on the half that slid over to her, still screaming and snapping fang-filled jaws like a headless wolf. Leaving the Discord Mareine no more than a bloody mess, Applejack rushed to the group of scouts firing at the various daemon-spawn scrambling toward them. The creatures, little more than gibbering masses of chitinous armor, tendrils and horns, snapped at the faces of the scouts and spat daemonic curses.

Applejack shot one of the spawn in its back, the round causing the vicious beast to explode from the inside. Grimacing at the blood that stained her visor, Applejack spun to kick the head off a daemon about to bite Rarity's leg. The white unicorn nodded in silent thanks before firing at a spawn jumping toward an unaware scout. The scout, a young mare Applejack recognized as Apple Bumpkin, gave them an embarrassed 'thank you' before leaping back into the fight.

"Take this, you ruffians!" Rarity narrowed her eyes in fury before releasing a volley of bolter-fire into the swarm of daemonic monsters. The few beasts the bullets connected with gave their friends a healthy coat of inky-black blood.

Suddenly, the room shook and the Discord Mareines started to fight in an unpredictable fury. Applejack turned her head to see a scout screaming as a heretic drug his chainhorn down the poor pony's chest, their organs spilling onto the floor. Wincing and looking away, Applejack noticed sparks of orange emerging from the energy-burnt wall of the ship. "Macintosh, another portal's opening!" She cried out, and the Chapter Master barely had enough time to react before a rift of crackling orange energy opened and dozens of heretics poured through to cleave the scouts apart with their blades, bolter fire rippling through the Mareine beside Rarity and covering her with a coat of red hard to see against her crimson and orange armor.

From the back of the newfound flood of gore flew a fireball that crashed into the center of the room, the mere force sending everypony into the surrounding walls. Applejack winced as she crashed into the back wall, her armor cracking from the force. Looking up, her jaw dropped in shock.

The pony standing in the center was an orange pegasus witha fiery mane and tail, literally ablaze with licking flames that lit up the room. Her wings were the same, feathers waving with the heat flowing from their orange embers. The pegasus' eyes had a haunting fire in them - the eyes of a creature thirsting for carnage and blood, not caring from where it flows.

"Greetings, everypony!" The pony flung her hooves up happily, sparks and smoke following them, thin smoke spewing from her lips with each word. The smoke began to make the room wretched, and Applejack and Rarity became glad they had rebreathers in their helmet. "I'm sure my warband gave you a warm welcome, eh?" Her voice was deeper than it should, obviously tinged with that of a daemon's. A cackle rattled her armor frame, the bright gold metal glimmering under the fires dancing across it.

"T'wasn't no more than a pestering, ya mangy traitor!" Macintosh shouted, his anger getting the best of him before he charged with his chainsword roaring. The pony smirked, baring her fangs, before swinging her own sword to connect with his, the two ending in a powerstruggle with their roaring weapons.

"A traitor? No, my dear Macintosh, you're the traitor! You said you would join my band. We were going to serve his Deliriousness together!" She seemed to be winning, her mouth pulled back in an angry sneer.

"Only a heretic like yerself would think Ah'd betray the Apple Strikers! Ah'd never betray my family!" The red stallion hissed back through gritted teeth, his bolter firing and blowing the two away from each other. Macintosh landed on his hooves, but the pony tumbled in a heap of fire.

"I want be shaken so easily, Macintosh!" She spat in fury, her fire growing hotter as she scrambled to her feet. "I am Spitfire, Champion of Diskhorde! I will have you as my servant, or I shall have your skull!" She looked at her troops. "Kill them! All of them!" She barked, gripping a Mareine and ripping her head off with her own hooves in rage. "SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"

It was like she had lit a fuse, the heretics rising in a guttural roar that shook the room. Fire spewed in a cone of death from Spitfire's mouth, burning through ceramite and melting bone to molten slag. Bolters splintered bodies, and blades spilled blood. It was a carnival of death, and one Applejack knew she had to escape. Even now, she watched as Macintosh struggled to stop Spitfire, wrestling her and trying to silence her flames with his chainhorn. The champion roared and struck him, flinging him off before pinning him with her fiery wings. A feral glow filled her eyes. "If I can't have you alive, I'LL TAKE YOU AS A TROPHY!" She bellowed, her voice nor truly demonic as her features began to stretch into a horrid maw with four piercing eyes. The fire began to glow white, hot enough to start melting the walls surrounding her, and energy started to crackle and roar around her until everypony felt paralyzed by its power.

The field of power shot off from the champion, enveloping everypony and Applejack stared in horror as the warp-blast disintegrated many of the ponies around her, their souls going straight to the dark realm itself. She too felt her being slip from herself, her body disappearing into the world of Discord.

For what seemed like minutes she was in the darkness of death. Looking about, she saw nothing but a limp white unicorn without her bloodied armor. Rarity opened an eye slowly, groaning in pain as her nerves kicked back to life.

"Applejack, where are we?"

The orange pony looked around, confused by the icy world that surrounded until a light started to become clear. A ship, it seemed, huge and painted black so Applejack had a hard time seeing it. As it drew closer, she saw the insignia (Empress Faust's cutie mark, a planet surrounded with a plume of gold) and was filled with hope of salvation.

The Friendquisition was here.

She was then filled with terror at that realization. She wasn't dead, neither was Rarity, and they were floating in space. Spitfire's blast had warped everything about willy-nilly and the two Mareines were left here minus their armor. Thankfully, their organs were built to allow them to live in the vacuum, so they had nothing to fear except for one final thought that passed through the earth pony before she fainted.

Big Macintosh was gone.


End file.
